QUASICUBIC-SEGMENTED IONOSPHERIC MODEL

A method is presented of fitting quasicubic segments (QCS) automatical ly to measured electron-density profiles of the ionosphere. Any number of layers and valleys which occur in the ionosphere may be represente d by this model, where the parameters are found by fitting to actual d ata points. The approach is similar to that adopted for the quasiparab olic-segment (QPS) model which has been developed in recent years and applied to a variety of ionospheric-propagation studies. The new model has been developed as an improvement to the QPS model, particularly w hen power calculations are required. The QCS model, like the QPS model , has analytic solutions for a number of ray quantities in the ionosph ere and so can be used to study the same range of propagation phenomen a as can be studied using the QPS model.